I’ve fished for years with regular hooks. I recently made the switch to circle hooks for a couple of reasons.
1. I like the idea that if I’m not paying attention the fish just might get hooked from the pressure of the rod and not necessarily because I set the hook.
2. From what I understand circle hooks are less likely to gut hook fish. More times than not the hook gets lodged in the side of the fishes mouth, making better averages for catch and release success.
Here are the simple steps for tying a circle hook onto a leader:
1. Thread your mono through the portion of the hook eye that is on the same side as the circle of the hook
2. Pinch the line with your left or right hand against the hook shank
3. Begin wrapping the other end of your mono leader right at the base of the circle hook eye. Continue wrapping it around the shank until you have five to eight winds around headed in the direction of the hooks bend.
4. While still pinching the short end to the hook shank, thread the long end through the back side of the hook’s eye.
5. Pull the long end of the leader tight while you are still pinching the short end of the mono
6. Finish seating the snell knot with firm pressure on the long end of the line
This is a really simple and super fast way to tie a circle hook onto a monofilament leader. I can guarantee you this knot will not fail you.